Sizeable Scars
by Shori Musei
Summary: So what's there to do when you've spent almost all your life in a crazy house? Well, there's always ... live. [yaoi, yuri, impliedpast-hinted not-actually-there het]


Sizeable Scars - chapter one

co-written with Yugi aka Kat.

* * *

Joey watched the outside world through the window next to his bed. He wanted so badly to be out there now, enjoying the sun and the warmth. He was snapped back to attention with the use of his full name.

"Joseph Wheeler! Are you paying attention?"

He rolled over to face the woman standing near his door. "Yes, Dr. Valentine."

Mai gave him a suspicious look. "Anyway, your new room mate's name is Tristan Taylor, he's 17, and manic depressive. You need to be careful around him until he gets used to you, okay? And be careful around Yugi with him, I don't know how the two will react towards each other. You know how sensitive Yugi can get."

Joey sighed and tugged at the hem of his plain black shirt. Nothing special about it, really, just the standard issue. He had the long black sleeves rolled up to about his elbows and the matching plain black pants were rolled up a bit so they didn't drag on the floor. He yawned and stretched. "Okay. When's he coming?"

Mai shrugged and straightened her white lab coat that all doctors at the facility had to wear. "I don't know, actually. He has a session this afternoon, so I suppose some time early this evening."

The blonde boy lay back on his bed, letting his eyes slide closed. "Sure."

"Joseph."

"You're the only one I'll let call me that."

"I know."

"Just making sure. That's a privilege, you know."

"I'm sure it is. Anyway, I need to get back to work. Make sure you're here after dinner to greet Tristan."

"I will be."

And with that Mai walked out the door, closing it gently behind her. Joey rolled back over to face the window. He watched a pair of birds fluttering around outside, hunting some dragonflies, before heaving a huge sigh and sitting up. He looked at the clock and slid off of his bunk (the top, of course). "Well, time to go get some munchies. I wonder if Yugi's gone yet...?"

Joey slipped out of his room and closed the door quietly behind him. The slippers he wore made practically no sound on the floor. Absently he picked at the patch on his shirtsleeve, denoting that he was an inmate of "The Asylum" as everyone within said, and a crazy kid from the Saint Katerina Boarding Home for Troubled Youths to anyone outside.

Yugi was just coming out of his room, following one of the other assorted people working at the "facility" when Joey came up towards him. "Hey Yug,'" he said, knowing it was better to announce his presence rather than sneaking up on the shorter boy. That was likely to earn him a punch to the jaw and a knee to the stomach.

Yugi Motou had been at the Asylum almost as long as Joey had. He wouldn't call them "friends," not really, because Yugi absolutely refused to get close to anyone. He was a tad bit paranoid... okay, a tad bit was a understatement. The boy was just plain scared of people. He said that the technical terms for his fears were "demophobia," a fear a crowds, and "haphenophobia," the fear of being touched. Joey learned quickly that Yugi was quite serious when he warned Joey about touching him. He still remembered the black eye he had for a week.

Yugi turned slowly as he closed his door. "Oh. Hi Joey."

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Meet you in the hall for lunch?" he asked. Yugi always disappeared before meals for about 20 minutes. Joey had once asked why, though he never repeated the reason.

"Sure." Yugi headed off with the orderly quietly. He never really talked too much, and Joey could understand why. The shorter boy knew that what he "had" was paranoia. He just couldn't do anything about it.

Joey shrugged inwardly and headed off towards the cafeteria. If the rest of the building was screwed up, at least the food wasn't too bad. They had gotten one thing right. Joey sniffed appreciatively as he wandered into the large cafeteria. It was full of people, some in their little cliques, other off on their own, all of them eating something that Joey noted looks a bit like sausage. He grinned when he recognized something that the kitchens rarely served: sausage, biscuits and gravy. Generally they set it out at breakfast, but occasionally it was another meal as well. He laid out two biscuits on his plate, ladling the sausage, sweet onions and white gravy mixture over it. Grabbing some napkins and silverware, he headed out of the cafeteria to wait in a hallway adjacent to the one leading to it.

Joey was about a quarter of the way done his food when Yugi appeared, carrying a tray of his own. "Hey Yug'."

Yugi nodded quietly and sat down across the hall from Joey, his back to the wall.

"So I'm getting a new room mate."

"Oh?"

'What a conversationalist this guy is,' Joey thought with mild amusement. "Yeah. His name's Tristan, and he's a manic depressive."

Yugi snorted softly. "Just another crazy, eh?"

Joey rolled his eyes. "We're all 'just another crazy.'"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll stop trying to make conversation now."

"Not what I meant."

"How could I tell? Not like you were saying anything."

"This is tru-"

* * *

"Sanji-chan!" called a voice from down the hall, causing both boys to flinch.

"Oh no." Yugi said, already getting up to leave.

"Don't, Yug', she'll just follow you. Just sit down and try not to hurt her, please." Joey said pleadingly, keeping an eye on the brown-haired girl approaching.

"Sanji-chan!" she said again, launching herself at Yugi. The shorter boy slid away down the hall, trying to avoid the arms that reached out to hug him.

Joey, for his part, tried not to laugh too hard as he gently tugged the girl's shirt, trying to pull her over towards his side of the hall. "Come on now, Tea, I don't think _Sanji-chan _wants a hug right now. Why don't we just leave _her _be."

"But..."

Yugi muttered something that Joey barely caught. "My name is_ not_ Sanji."

Joey laughed. "I don't know, Yug', you'd make a cute girl."

"Would not," Yugi said, glaring furiously at the blonde.

"Sanji-chan, you need to eat more!" Tea said, inching forward.

"I am _not_ Sanji-chan!" Yugi said hotly, trying to avoid Tea.

Joey watched carefully as Tea inched forward and Yugi inched off to the side. Tea suffered from "post-traumatic stress disorder" as her doctor called it. Her entire family had died in a house fire, including her little sister Sanji, to whom she was apparently very close. For some reason, Tea had decided that Yugi was her little sister and followed him around as much as possible. She had one hell of a sister complex.

Tea reached out to touch Yugi somehow-Joey couldn't tell what she was doing- and before he could pull her back Yugi had jumped up and smacked her hand away hard. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" he said, staring at her with wild eyes. He grabbed his tray and left the area hastily.

Tea stared at where he had been sitting for a moment before bursting into tears, crying something about her sister leaving her and not loving her anymore.

Unable to take this, Joey returned his tray to the cafeteria, holing himself up in his room for the rest of a rather uneventful day.

* * *

He was just beginning to doze off after dinner when the sound of his door opening roused him from his half-slumber. He sat up slowly and looked at the figure in the doorway. "Tristan Taylor, I presume?" he said, cracking a smile at the brunette.

"Uh, yeah. That's me."

Joey slid off his bunk and walked over, presenting his hand to Tristan. "Welcome to my not-so-humble abode."

Tristan stared at Joey's hand for a second before shaking it slowly with his own. Joey noted that there were scars of various shapes and sizes decorating his wrists. The older ones ran horizontally. The newest ran vertically along his veins.

Tristan dropped his pitifully full duffel of uniforms onto the bottom bunk and flopped down next to it, sitting cross-legged and staring at Joey.

Joey stared back, transfixed by the hazel eyes.

They just stayed where they were, staring for the longest time.

* * *

end! 


End file.
